Newscasts - LSEG plans $4.1 billion buyback amid investor pressure

London Stock Exchange

26/02/2026 12:33

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Source: 'Reuters - Business videos'

Description: London Stock Exchange Group said on Thursday it would buy back a further 3 billion pounds ($4.1 billion) of shares over the next year, under pressure from activist investor Elliott Management and worries AI could squeeze its business. Ciara Lee reports.

Short Link: https://lseg.group/4rGGo4G

Video Transcript:

London Stock Exchange Group said on Thursday it would buy back a further $4.1 billion of shares over the next year. It's under pressure from activist investor Elliott Management and worries that AI could squeeze its business. LSEG executives said the buyback was not a response to New York-based Elliott, which has recently emerged as a shareholder. A source told Reuters it is pressing CEO David Schwimmer to review LSEG's portfolio, lift margins that trail rivals, and better communicate its resilience to AI threats. Shares in LSEG rose more than 6% by mid-morning trade. Analysts welcomed the buyback, new guidance for 2027 to 2029, and slightly better-than-expected forecasts for this year. LSEG shares had lost around 30% of their value in the past year as the data and exchanges group was dragged into concerns that AI will hit its business and those of its peers. Schwimmer has dismissed the risk that AI models will replace its data business. It's already struck deals with OpenAI and Anthropic that allow their users to access and interrogate its data.